The invention is directed to a lounge cushion and more particularly to a foldable lounge cushion which includes a novel positional back rest support which can be selectively angled and locked in position at that selected angle.
There have been various prior art attempts to design different types of lounging cushions some of which have found limited commercial use.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,857,957 teaches a lawn or patio lounge which includes a plurality of interconnected sections or cushions, four cushions shown, with one of the cushions used as a head or back rest. The back rest cushion is angled from the supporting surface at a predetermined fixed angle. By physically repositioning the back rest cushion, the back rest cushion can be used as a head rest which has a less severe angle from the supporting surface. There is no means for adjusting the back rest cushion at a selected angle with the supporting surface and there is no means for securing the back rest against slipping out from under the person resting thereon unless the lounge is positioned over a holding spike penetrable surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,616 teaches a three cushion free form assembly which includes a back rest which can be angle adjusted relative to a adjacent cushion. The back rest angle is established and the cushion is held at that angle by a pair of telescopic struts which are removably attached to the upper corner of the back rest cushion. The struts are length adjustable at a plurality of discrete predetermined lengths. There are no length adjustments between the discrete predetermined lengths.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,907 teaches a folding recreation chair-pad using three hinged together cushions, A first cushion is constructed of covered foam and a second and third cushion are formed of foam covered plywood. The second plywood cushion includes a right angle extension on the side adjacent to the third foam covered plywood cushion. The right angle extension is for receiving the adjacent side of the third foam covered plywood section to support the second and third foam covered plywood sections at an angle determined by the spaced apart attachment of the opposite sides of the two foam covered plywood cushions to fixed in length cloth extension.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,512 teaches a folding paperboard beach chair formed from an integral scored blank of paperboard. The body portion has two spaced-apart and transverse score lines which define a bottom leg support panel, a middle seat support panel, and a top back support panel wherein the bottom and top panels are adapted to be folded so as to overlay the middle panel. A plurality of spaced-apart foldable support panels extend across the of the top back support panel when the chair is folded. An aperture is provided adjacent to the side edge of each of the top, middle, and bottom panels and positioned so as to be in vertical registration and to thereby form a carrying handle when the chair is folded into closed configuration with the top and bottom panels overlaying the middle panels thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,854 teaches a folding chair formed from sheet material including a seat panel, a back panel, a support panel, an end panel and brace panels connected to the support panel and extending between the back panel and end panel. The angle of the back panel relative to the seat panel is determined by the space between surface penetrating projections carried by the back panel and the brace panel and depends on the penetration of the projections in the support surface to maintain the back panel relative angle relative to the seat panel.
None of the prior art devices teach positive means for securing the back rest at a user selected angle relative to the support surface. The prior art teaches either that the back rest is fixedly positioned in a preestablished position by construction means, allows only for back rest angle changes and angle position holding means that depend on penetration into the support surface or provides only a friction with the support surface by the weight of the seat occupant.
There has not been a foldable recliner/lounge chair-pad which has a back rest which is infinitely adjustable through a range of angles with the support surface and can be locked in that selected angled position by positive securing means until the emergence of the instant invention.